Trevor Noah celebrates his last episode hosting “The Daily Show” after 7 years behind a desk

CNN
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Trevor Noah’s final night as host of Comedy Central’s satirical roundup “The Daily Show” celebrated his 7-year run and saw a packed audience, a full cast of anchors, and star-studded farewell letters.

“Don’t be sad,” Noah said in his closing monologue, adding, “It doesn’t feel like seven years. Well, not at the desk. I obviously went home in between. But still, it’s been a wild ride.”

A series of reporter clips praising Noah and a farewell video montage from Oprah, Issa Rae, Kamala Harris, Tracy Ross, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton and more helped usher the host through the night.

“I’m never going to pretend to understand America, you know, in the relatively short time I think I’ve been here,” said Noah, whose perspective as a South African comedian brings an outsider’s point of view to the show. But he did provide some lessons he learned.

Noting the powerful influence of American political parties, Noah encouraged his audience to consider issues outside the lens of democracy or ideals.

“As we live in a society where we increasingly give ourselves to the things that separate us, we forget that true friendships come from similarities, and then differences are how we shine on each other as human beings,” he said.

“The issues are real,” Noah said, “but politics is just a creative way to solve those issues.” “It is not binary. There are not just two ways to solve any problem. There are not only two ways to be.”

In the final minutes of the show, Oh Noah Thanks black womenparticularly those who took the time to “tell me, educate me, and argue with me”.

“I was often, you know, credited with having these great ideas… Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think shaped me, nourished me, informed me. From my mother, my grandmother, my aunt—all these black women in my life,” the host said.

He continued, “If you really want to get to know America, talk to black women.”

Noah took over the program in 2015 from longtime host Jon Stewart whose 16-year run on the show had turned it into a late-night staple.

The comedian only appeared as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” for a few months before he was tapped to fill in the anchor chair. Although Noah was not well known to American television viewers at the time, he had already garnered a large following outside of the United States.

He quickly molded the show around himself, guiding his audience through unique national experiences like the Trump presidency and the Covid-19 pandemic.

When Noah announced his departure from the show in late September, he hinted that his decision was inspired by a desire to perform from behind a desk.

“I spent two years in my apartment, not on the road, and when I got back there, I realized there was another part of my life that I wanted to continue exploring. I miss learning other languages,” Noah said.

The comedian only takes a short pause before hitting the stage again. He kicked off his “Trevor Noah: Off The Record” tour in Atlanta on January 20th.

When the show returns on Tuesday, January 17, the network announced A lineup of comedy greats Who will serve as host, including Chelsea Handler, DL Hughley, Leslie Jones, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn and Wanda Sykes.

But the show’s long-term future remains unclear as the network has yet to say if guest hosts will rotate indefinitely or if a permanent chair host will be installed.